


How Long Has It Been? - A Mandalorian One-Shot

by Lavender_Nebula_Twilight



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: CPR, Din Djarin Removes the Helmet, Din Djarin Whump, Drowning, Gen, Hurt Din Djarin, I like first person POV ok, Rogue IG Droid cuz why not, Worried Cara, between first and second season, how the heck do you tag well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29345085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavender_Nebula_Twilight/pseuds/Lavender_Nebula_Twilight
Summary: Mando seeks Cara's help to find the kid's kind, but while they are discussing plans, they are attacked by a rogue Bounty Droid, an IG Unit. In an attempt to use his jetpack, Mando falls into the nearby river. Cara must save her best friend, but in order to perform CPR, she must remove his helmet. Din whump, rated T for violence and language.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Cara Dune
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	How Long Has It Been? - A Mandalorian One-Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for clicking on my Mandalorian One-Shot: How Long Has It Been? !
> 
> I have always been a very casual Star Wars fan. I enjoy the movies (new or old), but I'm not a die-hard fan. I started the Mandalorian on a whim a few weeks ago and OH MY GOSH THIS SHOW IS GONNA MAKE ME A DIE-HARD SUPER FAN!
> 
> I got this idea for a one-shot of Cara having to do CPR and removing Din's helmet. Contrary to a couple fanfiction that people have been writing, this is not inspired by the season 2 trailer. This was my thought process:
> 
> *after watching the Five Feet Apart movie scene where Will has to save Stella by doing CPR*
> 
> "hmm that's a big moment. Can I write something like that where it's a big deal to do CPR?"
> 
> "OMIGOSH CARA AND MANDO"
> 
> Anyways, I've reacted to the Mandalorian season one on my YouTube channel and I will do season two as well! The link won't work through here, so my YT name is just Lavender Twilight :D
> 
> Like I said, I am a blooming die-hard fan, still a casual fan, so I don't know too much about the Star Wars universe. I apologize in advance for any incorrect information.
> 
> I love reviews also! And not because I'm bragging and I want y'all to tell me how great I am. Do you come across a chapter that you think could be improved upon? Some error you notice? Tell me! I strive to improve. :D But if you really like a chapter or something, again, let me know!
> 
> So, I think that's it! I hope you will stick around, review, favorite, follow, all that cool stuff. :D
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy How Long Has It Been? !
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer:
> 
> I do not own the Mandalorian TV show, the Star Wars franchise, or any of the characters. That all belongs to their original makers. Everything to them. Any added dialogue, plots, or characters are mine, but nothing else. I don't own it.

"So where do you suppose we're gonna find this kid's kind?" Cara gestures to the child beside me.

I let out a large sigh. "I don't know. I'm thinking about possibly searching for any remaining Mandalorians and have them guide us."

"How can you be sure that any of them are even still alive?"

"I can't." I fumble with the Whistling Birds on my wrist. "I need help. That's why I came to you."

Cara crosses her arms and scans the plateau. "Okay, Mando… Your move."

The child waddles up to my leg and squeezes my ankle, gurgling.

Under my helmet, I smile, bending to pick him up. "Hey, little guy." I rub the tip of his ear. "You ready for another adventure?"

The green creature coos and reaches for me. He wraps his little arms around my wrist in a hug.

I chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes." I turn to Cara. "All right, let's– ."

Cara raises her eyebrows at me, grinning.

"What?"

"You never struck me as the fatherly type and now look at you." She steps forward and slaps me in the shoulder. "It's adorable. Deep down, you're just a fluffy, sentimental son of a bitch."

I scoff. "You're being so nice, I might cry."

Cara strolls past me. "Go ahead. I'd never know."

Slipping the kid into his cradle, I follow her. "We should fill up at the river then cross the plateau. From there, we can make our way through the forests to the nearest settlement and ask around."

My best friend nods. "Sounds like a solid plan. I'm in."

"Of course you are. You'd never– ."

_Beep._

I stop short.

_Beep._

Cara snickers. "There's no way I'd pass this up. Nevarro is– ."

"Quiet." I stand, frozen.

_Beep._

Cara turns. "What is it?"

_Beep._

"Listen."

_Beep._

"Hear that?"

_Beep._

Cara narrows her eyes. "Is that a…tracking fob?"

_Beep. Beep._

I snap my head toward the cradle.

_Beep. Beep._

"Who are they after? You or the kid?"

_Beep._ _Beep._

"I don't know." I draw my blaster.

_Beep._ _Beep._

Cara whips out a weapon. "You're out of the system. They're not– !"

"I'm out of the system, but in the gossip. This much Beskar _and_ the child would make any Bounty Hunter trigger-happy."

_Beep._ _Beep._ _Beep._

"Mando– ."

"Shh." I close my eyes and listen.

_Beep._ _Beep._ _Beep._

Which direction…?

_Beep._ _Beep._ _Beep._

Not north.

_Beep._ _Beep._ _Beep._ _Beep._

Or east.

_Beep._ _Beep._ _Beep._ _Beep._ _Beep._

Or west…

_Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!_

South!

"Behind you!"

I whirl around and fire my blaster.

An IG droid steps to the right to avoid our shots. He dives under a bush– assumably his former hiding spot– and pokes his arms out to shoot.

I rush for the cradle, shielding myself with my armored vambrace. A few button presses and my jetpack powers up. "Cara!"

"What?" She aims her giant gun at the IG droid.

"I'm taking to the skies! Guard the kid!"

"On it!" She somersaults toward the child while I blast into the air.

The IG unit marches out from behind the bush and watches my aerial path. "Defeating the famed Mandalorian will make me rich. Capturing the child will shower me with praise and reward."

_Come on, jetpack, stay steady._ Hovering in the dry air, I cast a glance at the horizon. _It's almost dark. Then the IG droid will have the advantage._ "The kid's mine. If you want him, you'll have to kill me."

The IG unit pauses and clicks a contraption onto his wrist. "That's the plan."

Whistling Birds launch from his wrist and whiz toward me.

Crying out, I swerve to the side, but the missiles follow.

With a rush of sparks and pain, I feel myself falling. The jetpack sputters and dies, leaving gravity to take me.

As I plunge downward, right above the river, I hear Cara screaming my name before the cold shock of water claims both my airways and my consciousness.

* * *

" _Mando!_ "

My best friend drops headfirst into the river.

I grit my teeth and face the IG droid. "I swear if you've hurt him…"

From the cradle, the child lifts his hand and squints.

"He must be terminated. Don't– ." The IG unit twitches. "Don't-don't-don't-don't-d-d-d-d-d– ." The droid freezes, glitching like an old record. "D-d-d-d-d-d-don't tr-tr-tr-tr-tr-tr-tr-tr– ."

I send a blast through his head and he falls backward, his sensors dying. After checking on the child, I rush to the river's shore, panting. _Mando's down there. I've gotta save him._ I equip goggles, leap into the river, and flick on my underwater flashlight. A glint catches my eye. The beam of light reflects off a Beskar suit on the river bottom. The jetpack hangs from his arm. I chew on the inside of my lip. _Must've weighed him down._

Kicking closer, I hook my arms around Mando's waist and carry him upward. We break above the surface and I splash toward solid ground. The cold and dark of twilight conquers as I drag him onto shore.

His soaking, lifeless body slumps beside me. I scramble with a fire to warm him up and move him toward the heat. "Mando? Come on, talk to me." I strip him of his gear and place a hand on his chest.

Unmoving.

He's not breathing.

Panic swells in my throat.

_I have to do CPR._

_Oh, God, Mando, don't die._

I reach for his helmet–

And freeze.

Flashbacks overwhelm me.

_"I'm gonna have to take this thing off."_

_"No. You leave me."_

I shake the memory away and steel myself.

_I have to do it or my best friend is gonna die._

Pursing my lips, I grip both sides of the helmet, "I'm so sorry, buddy," and lift it…

Slowly…

Slowly…

Off.

In the span of a second, details swarm my brain.

Black hair. Ragged.

The shadow of a mustache.

Faint stubble.

Flushed lips.

Closed eyes.

Unconscious.

I pinch his nose shut and dive for his mouth. Two breaths of life. I move to his chest and start chest compressions.

"Come on, Mando! Come on, Mando!"

With each pump, my hope sinks more and more. I hover my ear above his mouth.

Nothing.

Two more breaths. More compressions.

My muscles ache and my best friend twitches beneath me with every pump. His head lolls to the side and his stillness wells tears in my eyes.

They fall.

_Pump. Pump._

"D-damn you, Mando!"

_Pump. Pump._

"Wake up!"

_Pump. Pump._

"Please!" _Pump._ "Please!" _Pump._ "Please!" _Pump._ "I," _pump,_ "can't," _pump,_ "lose," _pump,_ "you!"

_Pump._

A rib cracks under my hands.

_Pump._

"No, Mando!"

_Pump._

"Please!"

_Pump._

"P-please…"

_Pump…_

Mando's body shivers. His chest rises and he lapses into a coughing fit.

Gasping with a tearful smile, I turn him on his side.

He shudders with every cough. Water spills from his mouth as he retches on the shore. After a bout of dry-heaving, he collapses on his back, wheezing.

I rub his shoulder. "Mando?"

The warrior trembles, his breathing shallow, and falls into unconsciousness.

I cover him with a blanket and settle him by the fire. My hands tense as I pick up his helmet. I take one last look at his rugged face, pale with cold, and smooth a few rogue strands of hair from his eyes before slipping the helmet back on.

The child squeals from inside the cradle and I move to comfort him. As I rock him in my arms, I cast a glance at my best friend once more.

_Mando…_

_Din Djarin…_

_I finally can put a face to the name._

I frown. _He'll want to throttle me if he knows that I took it off. How do I avoid telling him?_

_If he asks, I'll tell the truth. I'm not a liar._

With the child and my best friend sleeping, that leaves me to tend to the fire and ponder over the deeper mysteries:

_What more is Din Djarin hiding?_

* * *

Dawn has already broken by the time Mando stirs.

Hearing his groan, I turn away from the frog-hunting child and sit across from him, the ashes of the night's fire black between us.

He reaches his arms behind him and lifts himself up only to break off with a grunt of pain.

"Steady, Mando." I pour him a cup of water. "One of your ribs is cracked."

Panting, the Mandalorian remains on his back. "What happened?"

I help him sit up and lean him against a rock. "The IG droid had some Whistling Birds literally up his sleeve. He took your jetpack out."

Mando glances toward the river. "I fell." He searches for the body of the IG droid. "You killed him?"

"Well, the kid helped. He used his power on the thing while I shot him through the head."

"The kid. Is he okay?" He starts to get up, but I push him back down.

"Relax. He doesn't have a scratch on him. He's sleeping now." I prod his chest, feeling around for the broken rib. "I had to pull you from the river bottom."

Mando coughs and rests his head back. "Thank you."

I scoff. "It was nothing. It's not like I wanted to save you, you idiot. Ruined my whole night. I only helped because…" I trail off. Memories flash through my head of crying over his body. Of my mouth on his. Of his pale skin and his slow pulse. Of him throwing up water and passing out right in front of me.

He could've died.

I could've lost him.

"Cara?"

I snap out of my trance.

Mando's eyes cut straight through his helmet and into me.

Pursing my lips, I sit back and fix him with a heavy stare. "You really scared me, Mando. You almost _died._ Right in front of me." I blink away tears.

"I'm sorry to have worried you." Mando swallows hard and moans. "You have some more water? My throat's dry."

I chuckle as I rise. "I think I've seen enough water in you to last a lifetime. I don't want to ever see you cough up that much water again." Fetching the pitcher, I tip the liquid into the cup.

"Wait, you said I almost drowned, right?" His voice wavers.

"What's wrong, you forget that part?"

"How did you resuscitate me?"

I peer over my shoulder at him. "You're alive. That's what matters."

"Cara." He calls my name with a trembling voice. "What did you do?"

"CPR. Mouth-to-mouth."

I swear Mando stops breathing for a few seconds. "You took my helmet off?"

Chills spider through my limbs. "I had to. How else was I supposed to save you?"

Silence.

"Mando?" I pivot and face him.

My best friend stares at the ground, a dark shadow glinting from his mask.

I take a few steps toward him, holding the cup out to him.

Still, he is quiet.

"Damn you, Mando! Say something! I can't– ."

He rips off his helmet and hurls it to the side.

I flinch with an open mouth. "Whoa, hey!"

His eyes flare and his jaw clenches. "I've betrayed the Creed."

Mando's voice exits unburdened by physical boundaries, grating from his throat with a growl.

A sting of regret pierces me. "I-I'm sorry, but– ."

"You knew." He clambers to his feet and whirls on me.

"Mando, sit down. You're– ."

"You _knew_ that it was against my laws." He jabs a finger my way, his anger seething fresh and sharp. "And you _did it anyway!_ "

"Stop it, Mando! It's not– ."

"It's _Din._ "

I stop short. "What?"

"I don't deserve the title of a Mandalorian anymore."

I clench my fists. "Mand– Okay, Din, that's overstepping it."

"Is it?" He snaps his head toward me like a hawk searching for a kill. "You don't know the Way."

"But I know you!"

"No, you don't!"

I stomp toward him and grip his shirt's collar. "Well, would you rather have _died?_ "

Din looks into my eyes, not saying a word.

My heart skips a beat. I back up, shaking my head. "Din, you…"

"I would rather die loyal to the only ones who ever cared than live a lie."

I can hear the child squealing behind me.

Din sucks in a breath and lets it out, staring at his helmet on the ground. "Our secrecy is our survival. Our survival is our strength."

With that, he picks up his helmet and throws it into the river, watching it sink to the bottom.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> So? How did you like it?
> 
> I LOVE DIN WHUMP!
> 
> Anyways, I loved writing this!
> 
> I also want to shout out an archiveorourown fanfiction that took a similar concept into play. I love it and it was cool to read another fic with a similar situation. Go read it! It's called Drowning by Alberta_Sunrise. :D
> 
> Read and review


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